Comfort
by anngraham
Summary: In the aftermath of Dixie Carter going through a table EC3 and Rockstar Spud grab a moment of quiet.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, and am not making any profit from these. All ideas represented are mine, as are any spelling or grammar mistakes.

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Slumped in the uncomfortable chair all hospitals seemed to favour Spud stared down at the cheap vinyl flooring, fingers drumming a nervous beat on his leg. Mrs. Carter and Ethan were still in with the Doctor while he had been regulated to this dreary waiting room, drowning in his own guilt and uselessness. Hours passed in a daze until a familiar hand touched his shoulder.

"Spud," squeezing lightly Ethan allowed a little of his irritation to show in his voice, "I've been looking for you."

"Sorry Sir!" Jumping to his feet Spud shamefully blinked back the sting of tears at the thought he'd kept Ethan waiting, his emotions had been swinging wildly out of control ever since poor Madame had been driven through that dreadful table. Not helped by the fact every inch of his body ached from their earlier match. Somewhat nervously he met Ethan's cool gaze, "how is your Aunt?"

"Later," brushing the question off Ethan impatiently tugged the shorter man along with him. "Let's get out of here first. Serg is with Aunt D now and they want some time to themselves."

"Yes, Sir," following Ethan meekly to the elevator Spud anxiously stood as close as he dared, seeking any bit of comfort he could soak up from the bigger man's solid presence.

Looking down Ethan frowned at the smaller man's hunched shoulders, sliding his hand around the back of Spud's neck he tugged him closer as they waited for the elevator, "it'll be ok Spud." The tense worry that had nagged him since watching paramedics wheel away Aunt D finally faded at the sight of Spud's tremulous smile, the smaller man relaxing at his touch.

The drive to the hotel was spent in comfortable silence and the moment they got back in their suite Spud took note of how tired Ethan looked. Protective instincts flaring he watched the other man stop in the middle of the room and gaze around at nothing before ordering firmly, "go shower Ethan while I call room service."

Snapping out of the daze he'd fallen into Ethan quirked a smile at Spud's unusually commanding tone, "yes, Sir." Snapping off a salute he grinned at Spud's amused huff he had to admit it felt … good to allow someone else to take charge for once. Not bothering to lock the bathroom door he set the shower to the highest temperature he could stand, the hot water soothing his sore muscles and washing away the stress of the last six hours. It was a good twenty minutes before he could bear to pull himself away and then only because he heard the door and knew room service had arrived. Stomach growling he hastily pulled on jogging pants and an old t-shirt, wandering out into the main room as he towel dried his hair.

Sure enough Spud already had the food set out on the coffee table, a selection of fresh sandwiches and fruit, all easy to digest after such a brutal match. Picking up a turkey sandwich Ethan sank down on the couch and took a bite, watching Spud practically inhale a cup of tea from the corner of his eye, such an expression of bliss crossing his features it almost felt like he should leave them alone together.

"Good tea?" Teasing Ethan smirked as Spud looked up and flushed bright red, pouring his own cup of coffee he sipped slowly to give the other man the chance to recover.

Coughing lightly Spud ducked his head and set his cup down, "yes, Sir." Eying the rather plain meal he suddenly doubted his decision not to order something more substantial, "I hope this is okay sir. I can order something else if you'd like."

Selecting a second sandwich, roast beef this time Ethan met Spud's uncertain gaze with an easy smile, "no, this is perfect Spud. Thank you," restful silence fell, the tray of food rapidly disappearing between the two of them.

Nibbling on the last apple slice, relaxed now his stomach was full Ethan looked over at Spud, frowning at how stiffly the other man was sitting, "why don't you go grab a shower Spud, you must be quite sore by now."

"Yeah," sighing wearily Spud stood up, grimacing at the painful twinge from abused muscles he hesitated by the bathroom door, looking back at his best friend who interpreted his look easily.

"We'll talk about Aunt D when you're done," touched by how much Spud truly cared about his family Ethan grinned at the other man's annoyed huff before pointing firmly at the bathroom, "now go shower."

"Yes, sir," forced to accept he wouldn't be getting an answer Spud exhaled wearily and snagged a change of clothes. Hitting the shower he slumped against the tiled wall, closing his eyes as the hot water beat down on his shoulders and soothed the bone deep ache in his muscles into something more tolerable. Pulling himself away only when the water ran cold he dressed in his usual shorts and tank top, having no doubt that by now Ethan would have turned the heat up.

Leaving the steamy bathroom Spud opened his mouth to immediately demand answers only to close it again on observing the way Ethan was sprawled out on the couch, eyes closed in clear exhaustion. Approaching silently he tenderly brushed a curl of dark hair off of Ethan's forehead, fingers lingering in the silky strands.

Stirring under the light touch Ethan stared up into Spud's blue eyes, lit up with warm affection. "Hmm, Spud," curling his fingers around Spud's thin wrist he tugged the smaller man down onto the couch, wrapping an arm around his shoulders he sighed contentedly when Spud leaned into him. "Aunt D will be fine," murmuring lowly and stifling a yawn he idly petted Spud's soft blond hair. "She had some injuries to her back that will require rehab, but she'll make a full recovery."

"Thank god," almost limp with relief Spud buried his face against Ethan's shoulder, the last of the stress left his body, leaving only the exhaustion behind. Shuddering as Ethan's fingers grazed lazily along the back of his neck before settling heavily on his back he realized the other man was almost asleep again and that it wouldn't take much to follow him. It had been a stressful, painful day and every inch of his body just wanted to sleep, shrugging and mentally consigning his worries until tomorrow he closed his eyes and snuggled further into Ethan's solid chest.


End file.
